It’s very true that Illinois is in great financial trouble, and can’t be everything to everyone. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize every penny carefully. As one of our consumers rode his bike to my house Sunday evening at dusk to ask about the future of his program, I pictured all the state ribbon-cuttings for new things I have seen in various newspapers and empathized strongly with the people quoted in this article. I tried to reassure him without offering false hope, but the subtlety of that escapes even me with my master’s degree and many years of experience. I worried about him as he left, because his bike didn’t have a light and it was getting dark.